I envy you, and him, and all the birds in the sky
by Lady Jeyne Deadpoole
Summary: Diaval knows that he is stupid for falling in love with Aurora, a human, his Queen and Prince Philip's fiancé but then again can you really blame him?
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

Diaval was staring at his reflection in an old, dusty mirror which hung from his bedroom wall.

Bedroom might be a big word for it actually, in truth the room existed of a few walls made out of black stones which had almost crumbled and the few pieces of furniture he had taken the effort to scramble together.

The room didn't even have a roof and the ruined walls were covered in poison ivy and roses.

The room had been a part of a castle a very long time ago but it had been in this state for as long as he could remember.

Maleficent had taken residence in the castle after she had lost her wings and she had offered him a place there too.

What had started out as a nest on a window sill had grown into something that could almost be called a home, or at least if you didn't have high standards or expectations.

He owned an old bench with faded, red velvet cushions and legs covered in gold leaf which was starting to peel off, a small book case filled with the books that Maleficent had given him so he may learn how to read, an old creaky desk filled with wax stains from candles and recently he had even added a proper bed.

Now Maleficent didn't need him to be her wings anymore he had started to become more and more human each day, it was more comfortable most of the time but also more lonely.

He touched the scar on the left side of his face and his neck.

He had thought that birds were vain but then again he hadn't known what it was like to be human.

"What are you doing here?"

Maleficent's voice was soft and songlike and her dress ruffled softly while it dragged behind her as she entered the room.

"This is my home now, isn't it?" he asked her, sounding more venomous than he had intended too.

Maleficent had known him for a very long time though, too long to let any harsh words coming from his mouth hurt her.

"What's wrong, love?" she asked instead while she stood behind him, pressing her body slightly against his.

He could feel her hot breath on his skin and her lips brush against his neck while she wrapped her arms around him.

"Nothing" he said kindlier this time and he even managed to put some sorts of a smile on his face even though he felt no joy inside "you don't need to worry about it"

"If you say so" she answered pressing a soft kiss on his neck.

He could see their reflection in the mirror and how absolutely stunning Maleficent looked, she was too good for him, too beautiful, too wonderful and he should be happy that she wanted to be with him, he should be more than happy but still…

"We need to go back to the celebration I'm afraid" Maleficent, the reason why there was even a bed in his room, said "Aurora would want you to congratulate her on her engagement"

He laughed bitterly at that and he walked away from the mirror and Maleficent.

There was a bottle of wine on his desk, another perk of being human, but after picking it up and opening it he only put it down again.

"If she marries the prince, we'll never see her again" he said tracing the rim of the bottle with his finger "she'll move into a castle further away than Stefan's castle ever was"

"I know" Maleficent said softly "but she'll be happy there"

He turned around to face the woman who had given him so much even though he had never asked for it.

"What makes you so sure of that?" he asked her crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning against the desk.

Maleficent smiled softly at that.

"Because that little beastie was even happy when she lived in a tiny cottage with three dimwitted fairies" she said chuckling a little bit "if she's not happy, she'll find a way to change things until she is and of that I'm certain"

Diaval ran a hand through his black hair and finally he managed to put a more genuine smile on his face.

"I don't like it when you're right" he said eventually.

Maleficent laughed at that and she shook her head.

"You should be used to it by now" she said with a cheeky smile while she linked arms with him and lead him out of the ruin that was his home "now let's not keep Aurora waiting any longer"

* * *

Aurora was the Queen of late King Stefan's kingdom, the Moors and soon she would also be the queen of Philip's kingdom resulting into her having three different engagement parties to attend to.

Diaval didn't doubt that the party the nobility of the human kingdom had thrown for Aurora was filled with fake politeness and empty courtesies and he wasn't only saying this because he had been watching her as his old self through one of the higher windows.

He had more than once caught Aurora trying to hide a yawn behind her hand and it had given him a strange feeling of satisfaction as if he would somehow benefit from the fact that she hated her own engagement parties.

The party the creatures from the Moors had thrown for her however couldn't be more different.

Diaval had missed the official part of the celebration since he had been in the castle but Maleficent had brought him back on time for the actual celebrating.

There was sweet honey wine, bowls filled with sugared fruits and cupcakes and cookies sprinkled with fairies dust that would leave you smiling for days floating around on cloudlike trays.

The water fairies were singing their songs and all guests appeared to be having a good time.

Suddenly Diaval spotted the three fairies who had raised, or at least made a weak attempt at raising, Aurora balancing a large three layer cake in-between them while they shouted at each other.

"Oh dear" Maleficent sighed while she watched the three pixies struggle with the weight of their own backing good "I'll be right back"

Maleficent let go of his arm and rushed to the three fairies.

Diaval took a glass of honey wine from one of the passing clouds and drowned it but the wine was too sweet and contained little alcohol.

He put the empty glass back on the cloud and decided to find a quieter place where he didn't have to see people having a great time.

He walked away from the square where the celebration was held and where Aurora's coronation had taken place too a few months ago and he decided to sit down at a small group of trees near the peaceful stream.

Diaval sat down on the grass and rested his back against the strong oak and he let out a deep sigh.

He knew that he should be happy for her but he just couldn't.

He wanted her to stay with him, in the Moors, and he wanted her to run through the fields full of flowers and dance with the fairies like he had seen her do during all those years of her precious youth.

His memories betrayed him sometimes though, one minute he imagined her in those same field and the next minute he could see himself standing next to her, touching her soft hair and kissing her rosy lips like he had wanted to do when she was cursed.

Diaval felt ashamed of these dreams, of these figments of his imagination.

He wasn't worthy of Aurora, he wasn't even a human and she was a Queen.

Suddenly he heard something rustling in the tall grass next to his group of trees.

He recognized Aurora's clear eyes and she pressed her finger against her lips to tell him to stay quiet.

"Aurora!" he heard someone call "Aurora, where are you?!"

Neither of them said a word though and it wasn't long before Prince Philip disappeared again.

"Thank you, Diaval" Aurora said letting out a sigh and she got out of her hiding space.

He watched the girl brush off the leaves of her now grass stained dress and he couldn't help but smile.

"Come here" he said and he picked a leaf from her hair after she moved closer to him.

She sat down next to him, looking just as innocent and beautiful as always reminding him once more of what he couldn't have, of what he shouldn't even want to have.

"What was that all about?" he asked her kindly.

She shrugged and she took the crown from her head and he watched her fingers trace the lines of the golden leaves.

"I'm just tired" she said softly.

He put his arm around her and she laid her head down on his shoulder as if that was the most normal thing to do in the world.

Suddenly he felt hot tears dripping on his shirt and Aurora was shaking almost unnoticeably.

"What's wrong?" he asked her shocked while she quickly wiped away the tears from her cheeks.

"N-nothing" she tried to say while she shook her head but she only started to cry harder.

He gently raised her chin so he could look into her eyes.

"Aurora, what's wrong?" he asked her again "you know you can tell me anything"

Suddenly she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest while tears streamed down her face.

"I'm scared, Diaval" she said shaking harder now.

He stroked her golden hair while he whispered soothing words and flashbacks of when she was just a little girl came to his mind but that little girl was gone now and she had grown into a beautiful woman.

She seemed to have calmed down again after a little while and she quickly wiped away her tears again after breaking their embrace as if she was afraid of appearing weak to him.

"I'm sorry" she said still sounding a little bit out of breath "I know I shouldn't be complaining, there are so many people out there who are so much worse off than I am. I'm just a spoiled brat!"

Aurora wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold even though the sun was still shining.

"You're not a spoiled brat" he said wiping the forgotten tears of her cheeks and he smiled at her "far from it, Aurora, you are a Queen!"

She looked at him with those familiar clear eyes of hers filled with sadness instead of joy this time.

"What if I'm not cut out to be a Queen?" she said softly "what if I turn out like… like my father?"

"You could never turn out like him, Aurora" Diaval said while he tucked a golden strand of hair behind her ear "your heart is filled with love and compassion and his was full of greed and envy"

She took his hand into hers and laced their fingers together.

"I don't love Philip" she said barely audible "and he doesn't love me, he kissed me but I didn't wake up"

He wanted to smile at what she had told him, he wanted to kiss her, to pick her up and carry her to his room in the castle but the way she was looking at him was so heartbreaking that he couldn't do anything but comfort her.

"Sometimes love takes time" Diaval said "if Maleficent had kissed you before she had gotten to know you, do you really think you would have woken up?"

"I guess not…" Aurora agreed hesitantly.

She sighed and got up from where they were sitting.

"I should head back to the party" she said "it's mine after all"

Diaval got up too and he gave her a sad smile.

"You probably should" he said still wishing that he would have told her the truth about his feelings for her and that he didn't think that Philip was right for her at all.

"Aren't you coming with me?" she asked him tilting her head slightly.

"No, it's a little bit too crowded for my taste" he answered chuckling slightly but his laugh sounded fake and strained.

She nodded with a sad look in her eyes, waved at him and turned around to go back to the party.

"Oh by the way, Diaval!" she said all of the sudden and before he could answer she had turned back around again and planted a kiss on his lips.

"If I'm going to have to marry someone I don't love, I at least wanted to have done that" she said and the feeling of her hot breath on his lips sent shivers down his spine.

"Bye, Diaval" she said with a cheeky smile he had never seen on her face before and she hurried back to the party, disappearing into the crowd of creatures.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter Two_**

Diaval was lying on his bed and looking up at the midnight sky.

Stars were scattered across the deep blue heavens and the full moon shone down on him disappearing behind a veil of clouds every now and then, only to reappear shining even brighter.

His bedroom didn't have a roof but one of Maleficent's spells protected it from the weather.

Diaval had thought it was silly to cast a spell like that at first but one night of shivering in a corner of his room while the rain poured down on him had made him come around.

He heard the doorknob to his room turn and Maleficent appeared in his doorway.

She was wearing a long cape which covered her body but he knew that she would be naked underneath.

He couldn't exactly remember how their visits had started but Maleficent would come to his room at night when she needed him and he would come to hers.

Hey would wake up alone again the next morning and they never spoke of it afterwards.

It could hardly be called a relationship and even though he knew they were nothing more than two heartbroken souls looking for some comfort, he still felt guilty afterwards every time.

It had gone on for too long though to confess where his heart truly lied.

Maleficent quickly came over to his bed and sat down next to him with an almost shy smile on her face.

He sat up right but he was too heartbroken to smile at her, tomorrow Aurora would leave with Philip and he might never see her again, and even if he did she would be a married woman.

Maleficent pressed a kiss on his cheek before moving her lips to his neck.

Aurora's kiss had been brief and sudden but every move Maleficent made was thoroughly calculated.

She stopped all of the sudden and she gave him an almost accusing look.

"I had hoped that whatever was bothering you this morning would be resolved by now but apparently that was foolish of me" the sorceress said "so you better start telling me what's going on because I will get it out of you one way or another"

Anyone who had seen what Maleficent was capable of doing would be scared by her threat but Diaval knew her better than that and he had noticed that her tone had changed from accusing to genuinely concerned.

"It's Aurora" he admitted eventually and even saying her name seemed to hurt.

"Well, what about her?" Maleficent asked while she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear "didn't we already discuss this before the celebration?"

Maleficent looked at him with big, green eyes which would have broken his heart if Aurora's engagement hadn't already done that.

"We did" he said "but that was before I found her hiding from her fiancé on her own engagement party! We can't let her marry him, _she doesn't want to_ _AND HE ISN'T HER TRUE LOVE!_"

Diaval found himself slightly out of breath after his outburst and he was as surprised by it as Maleficent seemed to be.

The surprised expression on her face however faded quickly while she looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"You love her yourself, don't you?" she asked him accusingly and her words were dripping with venom.

He wanted to take hold of her hand, to comfort her and to finally tell her the truth about everything but he didn't get the chance.

Maleficent quickly got up from the bed and walked away from him.

She looked so vulnerable while wearing nothing more than her black cape and he could see her shoulders shake ever so slightly while he watched her from behind.

At one point he thought he heard something that could have been a sniffle but Maleficent would never give him the pleasure of seeing her cry.

When she turned around again every sign of emotion had been wiped off her face and she looked more like the Dark Queen she had been once, than she had done in a long time.

"Even if she doesn't love Philip, what makes you think she loves you?" she asked him sounding genuinely curious.

"She kissed me" he answered softly, feeling more guilt ridden about how he had treated Maleficent than ever "Maleficent, I am so sorr-…"

The sorceress raised her hand and stopped him in the middle of his apology.

"I've always known that your heart didn't fully belong to me" she said but he could hear the pain in her voice "I might not have been expecting this but I'm not a fool either"

She turned around again and paced back and forth in his small bedroom.

Maleficent pressed her index finger against her lips while she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

"If you tell her that you love her and she wants to run away with you, she will lose everything she has" she said seemingly talking to herself instead of him "she won't only lose Philip's kingdom but the nobility will never accept you as their new king and she will quickly lose her father's kingdom too and I don't even want to think about what will happen to the Moors when someone else sits that throne!"

The chance of Aurora loving him back had seemed so slim that he hadn't given any of the things that Maleficent was saying much thought.

He wouldn't want her to give up her crown for him, especially not after everything they had been through with Stefan but he couldn't forget about her either.

What if they actually had a future together? What if they ran away together to live in a small cottage near the beach? Would she make that sacrifice for him and, just as important, would he dare to ask something like that of her?

The thought was starting to haunt him though and he wondered if their bittersweet love story could actually grow into something as sweet as Aurora herself.

"I know" Diaval told Maleficent "but isn't it her choice?"

A bitter smile spread across Maleficent's face.

"When you're Queen it's never just your choice" she said "I forgot that once and I almost took an innocent life, when you're Queen you have to make the best choice for your people, not yourself"

Diaval took his eyes of the sorceress and looked out of his window and in the distance he could see late King Stefan's castle which now belonged to Aurora.

"So you think I shouldn't confess my love to her?" he asked Maleficent and he wondered if he was witnessing his last chance at true happiness slipping between his fingers.

It took Maleficent longer to come up with a good answer as he had expected her to, but when she spoke she sounded very tired.

"I want Aurora to be happy" Maleficent said "and believe it or not, I want you to be happy too and if that means that the two of you should be together then that's the way things should be, but I also want peace and trust between our kingdoms and I truly believe that Aurora is the only one who can accomplish this right now"

Diaval ran his hand through his black hair and he tried to come up with a solution but there didn't seem to be one in which Aurora would be Queen and they could be together at the same time.

"I'll give you some time to think about that" Maleficent said softly and she walked to his bedroom door.

She had already turned the doorknob when she looked back one last time.

"If you decide to talk to her, you can find her at the stream where we first met her… officially that is" Maleficent said with a sad smile before leaving his room.

He could hear the rustling of wings only a few seconds later and he knew that she had gone to one of her special places to think about things and be alone.

* * *

**Sorry for the lack of Aurora in this chapter, but I promise that there will be a lot of her and Diaval in the next one! **


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter Three_**

Aurora was sitting near the stream, dangling her feet carelessly in the clear water.

A few water pixies were dancing for her and they emitted a blue light while they tumbled and twirled.

The pixies loved to entertain people with their dancing but they always seemed reluctant whenever he visited the small river.

The pale moon shone down on Aurora's golden hair and this light mixed with the pixies' blue glow made her look even more angelic than usual.

He slowly walked up to her and he was almost afraid to break the serene ambiance that surrounded Aurora and the magical creatures.

Diaval accidently stepped on a twig and Aurora quickly turned her head when she heard the piece of wood snap in half.

"Diaval!" Aurora said and one of her beautiful smiles, that she was so famous for, spread across her face "what are you doing here?"

He couldn't help but return her smile with one of his own even though his heart was still heavy with the burden of Maleficent's words.

"Your godmother sent me" he said "she told me you would be here"

Aurora patted the ground next to her, telling him to sit down.

She looked at him with a certain admiration in her eyes which he had never noticed before.

He could still remember the way her soft lips had pressed against his and how she had tasted of honey and other sweet things.

It was strange to think that she might love him back but there was such familiarity between them which just couldn't be explained any other way.

Aurora took hold of his hand and they laced their fingers together and he couldn't help but notice that even they seemed to fit perfectly together, her soft, small one in his calloused and large one.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Aurora asked him all of the sudden and she bit her rose-colored lip softly.

"Why would I be mad at you?" he asked her surprised and he couldn't remember one single time he had actually been mad at her.

Unlike Maleficent he had never felt any animosity towards Aurora and even when she had been a baby he had already cared about her, but in a very different way of course.

"Be-… because I kissed you" she said softly and a blush spread across her face while she averted her eyes.

He laughed at that and Aurora gave him a surprised look.

"How could I be mad at you for that?" he asked her smiling while he cupped her cheek with his right hand.

Aurora shrugged almost unnoticeably while they looked into each other's eyes.

This time it was Diaval who took the initiative while he slowly moved a closer to her.

Aurora met him halfway until they were so close that her sweet scent seemed to completely surround him and he could feel her breath on his skin.

Diaval pressed his lips against hers and while he closed his eyes he could feel Aurora's hand move through his hair.

Their lips parted slightly before their tongues met and they fell into a rhythm that almost came natural to them.

Aurora let out a small moan while she pressed against him closer and he could feel her small breasts against his chest.

He whispered her name in-between kisses and when they finally let go of each other they were both out of breath.

A charming blush had spread across Aurora's cheeks while she smiled at him shyly.

Diaval knew however that things would never be the same again because he was sure that she had felt the same way he had done when they kissed.

A more romantic person might have called it True Love's kiss but Diaval wasn't concerned about what they should name it, the only thing he knew for certain was that he would do everything in his power to stay with Aurora and to make her happy.

"Don't marry Philip" he said and he didn't care anymore what anyone would think of their relationship.

"I won't" Aurora said shaking her head "I promise, I won't"

There were tears glistening in her eyes which she quickly wiped away with the back of her hand.

"I love you, Diaval" she said taking hold of his hands and looking into his eyes "maybe I've always done"

He smiled at the young girl.

"I know I've done" he said making her blush again and a joyful giggle escaped from her rose-colored lips which made him laugh too.

He couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy, not as a human and not as a bird.

Aurora's facial expression changed all of the sudden and became more serious.

"I wish you could come to the castle with me" she said still holding his hands.

"Me too" Diaval said with a heavy heart "but I'm afraid the nobles of your Kingdom won't be too thrilled with the fact that you're not marrying Philip even without you introducing them to your new… uhm.. lover"

A sad smile spread across Aurora's face while she stared across the water and he knew that she agreed with him even though neither of them liked it very much.

"I'm going to miss it here so much" she said softly "I just know that I'm going to count every day until I'll return"

Diaval put his arm around Aurora's small frame and pulled her closer.

"We'll miss you too" he said and he pressed a kiss on the top of her head "it won't be the same without you"

The water pixies had returned to the stream and they carefully restarted their dance routine while their reflection seemed to struggle to keep up.

They both laughed when two of the pixies accidently bumped into each other when trying to show off their dancing skills and their laughter scared away a few birds who had been sitting on a branch nearby.

"I hope those weren't friends of yours" Aurora said with a cheeky smile while the ravens cawed offended after sitting down on a higher branch.

"Believe it or not, I don't really have much bird friends around here" Diaval said chuckling while he watched the couple several feet above them.

"Good" Aurora said putting on a smug smile "I don't want you to get distracted while I'm at my castle"

Diaval laughed at Aurora's comment and she joined in since they both knew that she had only been joking.

"I'm the one that should be worried here!" he said teasing her "with all those Princes that will try to court you"

Aurora rolled her eyes and snuggled a little closer to him.

"Believe me, I've had enough Princes for a life time" she said "and besides you're my True Love"

"And you're mine" he said smiling warmly.

Suddenly Aurora sat up right again and she had a familiar twinkle in her eyes.

"I've got an idea!" she said and before he could ask her what she was going to do she had already disappeared into the tall bushes near the stream.

"Aurora, what are you doing?" he asked her but she didn't answer him.

Diaval got up from his seat and walked to the greenery in which Aurora seemed to have disappeared.

He pushed past the thick branches and the thorns on one of them ripped his dark shirt.

He barely paid it any mind while he kept searching for the girl.

Just when he was starting to panic he found her sitting near a rose bush on the ground.

There were leaves in her hair and grass stains had gotten on her pale blue dress but that was when she looked the most beautiful to him and it was the way he would always remember her, no matter how extravagant the crown they put on her head might be.

"What are you doing?" he asked again, but with a soft smile this time, and he sat down next to Aurora.

The girl opened her hand and showed him what she had been making.

She had fabricated two rings out of a rose's stem which she presented with a certain shyness as if he would tell her that he didn't like it.

"I know it's not a wedding ring but…" she said softly but Diaval stopped her before she could apologize.

"It's perfect" he said with a bright smile and he took one of the rings from Aurora's hand.

Diaval took hold of Aurora's left hand and looked into her clear eyes.

"Aurora, I promise you that I will always be there for you to love you and to protect you for as long as you let me" he said while he gently put the ring around her finger.

There were tears of joy in her eyes while she watched him move the ring and she smiled at him while she put the other one around his finger.

"And I will always be there for you" she said before kissing him passionately.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter Four_**

Aurora rushed into her bedroom, quickly followed by her handmaiden.

There were tears in her eyes and she had a pounding headache.

The nobility of her Kingdom had seemed about ready to eat her alive when she had told them that she had broken off her engagement to Prince Philip.

It had been an official announcement and she had worn her crown and her most regal clothes with pride and she had chosen her words carefully hoping that that would keep her people from questioning her decision but she couldn't have been more wrong.

A soon as she told them that her wedding had been cancelled all hell seemed to break loose in the Great Hall and the Lords and Ladies of her Kingdom didn't even gave her a chance to explain things, instead they started arguing with each other whether or not she was even fit to be their Queen.

Luckily there were enough people who were still willing to give her a chance, since she did help restore peace between their Kingdom and the Moors but she knew that she would really have to step up her game to win everyone's trust.

A wedding would have been the perfect thing to elude a time of peace and prosperity and firmly put her father's reign and the war that came with it in the past, but she couldn't give them that if it meant that she had to be unhappy for the rest of her life and especially if it meant she couldn't see Diaval anymore, let alone kiss him.

Aurora walked to her vanity and sat down sighing.

She looked so different than usual with her big, golden crown on her head made to look like leafs and the tight red corset that she wore on top of her dress.

The dress was as beautiful as it was uncomfortable with its wide hoopskirt and large sleeves all made out of a rich, red fabric and embroidered with a golden flower pattern and the corset even had pearls on it, but no matter how pretty it looked she couldn't help but miss the light dresses she used to wear back in the cottage and at the Moors.

She took of her crown and her handmaiden started to unlace her corset, allowing her finally to breath properly again.

Aurora didn't have to ask the girl to do anything because she always knew exactly what needed to be done and the handmaiden had quickly become her only real friend in the castle.

"Rose, do you think I have made the right decision?" Aurora asked the girl softly while she looked at their reflection in the mirror.

Although the golden thread in her dress matched the gold in Aurora's hair she couldn't help but feel that the dark red made her look pale and foreign.

Rose, however with her brown curls and her friendly blue eyes would look beautiful in the dress Aurora thought and she would have given it to her immediately if that had been possible.

"A handmaiden should not question her Queen's decisions" Rose said while working on the corset.

Aurora cast her a meaningful look and the girl let out a tiny and almost unnoticeable sigh.

"I think you did the right thing, Your Grace" Rose said "and I believe that you will continue to make the right decisions even without a King or a Prince at your side, especially if you don't love that Prince"

Aurora smiled softly at the girl and she had to admit that she did feel a little bit better after hearing her friend say those words.

"Thank you" she said "that means a lot to me"

A small blush spread across Rose's cheeks which suited her.

Suddenly Aurora heard a few short taps and when she turned around she saw a large, black bird tapping on the window with its beak.

She could feel her heart starting to beat faster while a smile quickly spread across her face.

"Rose, would you mind leaving me alone for a while?" Aurora asked the girl.

Rose couldn't deny her Queen anything even if she had wanted to, so the girl curtsied and quickly left the room.

"Hello, pretty bird" Aurora said smiling softly when she believed Rose to be out of earshot.

She got up from her seat and her skirts ruffled softly while she walked away from the vanity and the forgotten corset and to the stained window.

A skilled glass worker had created the window for her and presented it at her during her coronation to show her that the common folk of her Kingdom would be loyal to her.

She wasn't sure why the man had chosen to make a window that featured a spinning wheel but if she had to guess it was either to show the obstacle she had to overcome to become their Queen or else because he had a wicked sense of irony, either way it wasn't the image she would have preferred no matter how beautiful the green, red and blue colors featured in it were.

Aurora and Diaval, who was still in bird form, stared at each other through the spinning wheel while Diaval rapidly moved his head, like birds were prone to do, now appearing in red and now in blue.

She smiled but when she tried to open the window she was stopped by someone bursting into her room.

It was Philip who looked more than a little upset and she immediately felt guilty.

She didn't have the heart to tell Philip that she wanted to break off their engagement, but when she had insisted that they went back to her Kingdom instead of going to his he had been fearing the worst.

"How…how could you do this to me?" he asked breathing heavily while he ran a hand through his otherwise perfect hair which now looked like a mess.

Her bedroom was on the highest floor of the tallest tower and she had instructed Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle to keep Philip busy for as long as possible, unfortunately however he seemed to have escaped from the three pixies and the long climb to her bedroom hadn't exactly improved his mood.

"I'm sorry" was all she managed to say while a dark, red blush spread across her face.

Aurora had to force herself to keep looking into Philip's eyes so he would understand that she truly meant what she was saying and that she understood how much she had hurt him but the guilt was almost too much to bear.

"Aurora, I don't understand" he said softly while he walked up to her "I thought… I thought we loved each other!"

Aurora could feel tears burn in her eyes and she couldn't look into Philip's pleading eyes any longer.

In the distance she could hear Diaval tap on the window again.

"Philip, please, don't make this any harder on me" she said softly.

Aurora could feel Philip take hold of her hand and when she looked up to meet his gaze again she thought she saw tears in his eyes.

"Please, tell me what I've done wrong..." he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper, and Aurora could no longer fight back her tears.

"Nothing, Philip" Aurora said shaking her head softly and she allowed him to wrap his arms around her.

She buried her head in his chest and they stood there in utter silence for what seemed like ages while tears streamed down both their faces.

They were both too young to have their heart broken, but still that was exactly what had happened in one way or another.

"I'm sorry" Aurora said when they finally let go of each other.

"Me too" Philip said holding her hands in his.

He moved her right hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on her knuckles.

"I will fight for you" he said with a determined look in his eyes but all she could do was shake her head.

Philip left the room shortly after that and Aurora felt even more tired than before.

She sat down on her bed and put her head in her hands.

Aurora had never meant to hurt anyone in her life but still she had broken his heart.

The only thing that she wanted to do now was disappear into Diaval's embrace and hear him tell her that everything would be all right.

She fiddled with the makeshift wedding ring on her left hand and suddenly she remembered that Diaval had come to visit her.

A hopeful smile spread across her face but when she ran to the window she noticed that Diaval had flown off and suddenly she realized that the tapping had stopped a long time ago too.

Aurora couldn't think of the last time that she had felt this lonely and she wished that Maleficent was with her.


End file.
